Could cricket fans see something like this soon in the GTA? India's Murali Vijay bats during the second day of the first cricket Test match between England and India at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, July 10.

Cricket lovers are one step closer to having a stadium in the GTA and if one local league has its way, the facility will be landing in Toronto.

Canadian Premier League T20 chairman Roy Singh says his league has secured $700 million from Avcom Investments Inc. to construct the first purpose-built covered cricket facility with a natural grass surface and fixed roof.

Though Brampton, Milton and Markham are also being shopped around as potential stadium locations, Singh says Toronto is the first choice.

“Brampton is pushing us very hard (and) so is Markham, but if Toronto comes to the table with something we can look at and work with successfully, I will definitely choose Toronto,” Singh says.

He says Toronto has reciprocated the league’s interest in the stadium.

“They said to me they want the stadium in Toronto,” Singh says. “They’ve said this numerous times.”

While City of Toronto tourism manager Rob Berry was hesitant to speak about any city involvement in potential plans for a cricket stadium, he did say, “we are interested and hopeful that something can come to fruition, but we still have some things to get done.”

One of the biggest hurdles to clear is finding 150 acres of land for the stadium, and parking for 10,000 cars and between 100 and 200 buses.

A conceptual site plan drawn up by WSP Canada/Architecture 49 features 35,000 seats positioned under a dome-shaped roof tilted towards the sun.

Singh says he is currently courting more investors from Dubai and China, who have shown an interest in providing another $300 million the league will need to construct the estimated $1 billion stadium.

If all goes as planned, league president Bob Mitchell says there will be definite support from a municipality and a "stadium built and ready for international cricket within four to five years."

But some, like local developer John Cutruzzola, who previously sought to bring a multi-use cricket stadium to the GTA, have qualms about the project.

“It’s hard to make it work and that’s why a lot of these ideas don’t get realized,” he says.

“It’s welcome and needed, but I think the return that investors will need could make this a pie in the sky.”

Brampton Cricket League president Faraz Saleem also has concerns.

“Knowing cricket, I think this is going to be tough to put together,” he says. “It’s a big investment. It’s a big undertaking.”

Still, Saleem says he supports the idea of welcoming a cricket facility to the GTA because he says there is a “massive interest” in the sport.

“A few years ago, I started a midnight league and I kid you not, at 12 p.m. people could come to play games and stay there until about 6 a.m. and it was busy every weekend,” he says.

Though he would like to see the stadium close to home, he’s open to it being located elsewhere.

“Ideally, Brampton would be a great location because Brampton has the most facilities for cricket in the GTA,” he said.

“However, if facilities were in Toronto with better transit, it may be a better option.”

He also says Singh isn’t the first to pitch a cricket stadium idea in the GTA.

In June 2012, Brampton councillors shot down an idea to build a baseball venue for the 2015 Pan Am Games that could have been reconfigured for cricket afterward.

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